Gasperini hurt by Genoa's last-gasp loss to Juventus

ROME, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Genoa head coach Gian Piero Gasperini felt hurt by his side's last-gasp defeat to Juventus at home on Sunday.

Andrea Pirlo curled in a free kick at the last minute to seal the win for Juventus after Genoa striker Emanuele Calaio had a penalty saved.

Losing in such a way was hard for Gasperini.

"Losing a game like this is incredibly painful. We played well for 90 minutes and we thought that we'd be able to win it and make history, so to lose is hard to swallow," he said.

"We worked hard, with determination, strong fitness levels and also quality, as it wasn't just grit. We created some good scoring opportunities and then this Pirlo gem at the end threw away the game," he said.

"Considering the quality of our opponents, it was undoubtedly our best performance of the season. It's a real shame, as we had the game in hand during the second half and had that penalty," he said.

He congratulated his players on their performance and hoped they could leave behind the painful loss.

"I can only compliment my players. It'll be tough to raise their spirits, but they must remember the performance," he said.

"I know it won't remain in the history books, but it remains a memorable game for us and I hope also for our fans," he added.